Systems and methods for remotely monitoring electronic displays

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for remotely monitoring display assemblies are provided. Each of the electronic display assemblies includes sensors in electronic communication with a controller, which is in electronic communication with a network communication device. At a monitoring center, different customer identifiers are associated with different portions of data, a particular customer identifier is received from a customer device, the portions of the data associated with the particular customer identifier are identified for transmission to the customer device, and one or more user displays are generated with the identified data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.17/893,253 filed Aug. 23, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 17/548,698 filed Dec. 13, 2021, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/134,634 filed Dec. 28,2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/508,877filed Jul. 11, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/697,016 filed Jul. 12, 2018, the disclosure of eachof which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully restatedherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Exemplary embodiments relate generally to systems and methods forremotely monitoring electronic display assemblies.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The use of electronic displays has increased in recent years. Beyondpersonal use, these electronic displays are sometimes placed in anenclosure, which may be ruggedized, for both indoor and/or outdoor use.For example, without limitation, such display assemblies may be placedoutdoors, such as on sidewalks or on the tops of vehicles to name someexamples, to display advertisements or other information. Oftentimesthese display assemblies are associated with other electronic equipmentto provide features such as, but not limited to, video conferencing, webbrowsing, way finding, image capture, emergency notification, and thelike. It is desirable to provide owners, manufactures, operators,renters, or the like of such display assemblies with access tooperations data regarding the status and operation of such displayassemblies. Furthermore, these display assemblies consume a significantamount of power during operation. A significant amount of the energyconsumption of such display assemblies comes from operation of thebacklight. Particularly as the use of such display assemblies hasincreased, it is desirable that such operations data include dataregarding the energy consumption of the display, including but notlimited to, status and operation of the backlight. Such operations datamay be stored and presented to display owners and other relevant partiessuch that energy consumption and reliability may be tracked. Certainoperations parameters may be adjusted in response to the presented data.For example, without limitation, backlight levels may be adjusteddownward to reduce energy consumption or maintenance frequencies may beincreased in response to reported display assembly downtime.

However, for many such display assemblies, multiple parties may have aninterest in the operations data. For example, a display assemblymanufacturer may have an interest in monitoring its tens, hundreds,thousands, tens of thousands, etc. of display assemblies. Each owner orrenter of one or more such display assemblies might likewise have aninterest in monitoring the display assemblies it owns. While themanufacturer may already have access to this operations data, theoperations data may include data for all owners or renters. Thus, theoperations data may be co-located with operations data for other ownersor renters. Allowing complete access to such data may create privacyconcerns. However, individual storage of each client's information wouldpotentially require multiple storage devices, increasing complexity andexpense. Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for providingaccess to co-located operations data for a display assembly.

The present disclosures provide a system and method for providing accessto co-located operations data for a display assembly. The system maycomprise one or more client devices in communication with a centralizedmonitoring center via a network. Multiple display assemblies maylikewise be in communication with the monitoring center via the network.In exemplary embodiments, each display assembly comprises one or moreelectronic displays and other electronic components for operation of thedisplay assembly in electrical connection with a display controller. Thedisplay controller may likewise be in electrical connection with anetwork interface device. The network interface device may likewise bein communication with the centralized monitoring center via the network.

Operations data may be continually gathered and transmitted to thecentral monitoring center for storage. The received operations data maybe processed. Such processing may determine which client(s) areassociated with the operations data and what the operations datarepresents. The operations data may be summarized and presented in avisual depiction. Upon receipt of a client request for operationsinformation, client specific information may be retrieved and presentedto the client in the visual depiction. In other exemplary embodiments,upon login, a client may be permitted to remotely operate or modifydisplay assemblies associated with the client.

Remote monitoring and/or operation of display assemblies may permitdisplay owners, operators, users, combinations thereof, or the like tomonitor display assembly status and/or exert operational control overthe same from various locations. A wide variety of data points, whichmay include information, configuration settings, operational parameters,combinations thereof, or the like related to status and/or operation ofthe display assemblies may be monitored and/or updated.

Monitored data points may include, for example without limitation, oneor more of: internal temperatures, external temperatures, ambientweather conditions, ambient lighting, backlight levels, ambientpressures, internal pressures, geographic locations, power consumptioninformation, power input information, power output information, statusinformation, identifying information, proof of play information,humidity information, configuration information, usage information, fanspeed information, combinations thereof, or the like. Such settings mayinclude, for example without limitation, one or more of: fan speed,backlight levels, day-to-night or night-to-day transition information,temperature tolerances, dewpoint spread tolerances, combinationsthereof, or the like. Any number, type, and/or kind of settings and/ordata points may be tracked, reported, and/or updated. Any number, type,and/or kind of sensors may be provided for determining the various datapoints, such as but not limited to temperature sensors, pressuresensors, ambient light sensors, airspeed sensors, power level sensors,combinations thereof, or the like. The data points and/or settings maybe filtered for more focused presentation, such as but not limited to,based on customer identifier, geographic region, part number, serialnumber, type of metric or setting, applicable dates, applicable ranges,combinations thereof, or the like. The data points may be presented insummary form, such as for a single display assembly and/or multipledisplay assemblies, over time (e.g., in time dependent graphical form),table form, spreadsheet, in dashboard form, or in detailed form for asingle or multiple display assemblies. The data may be presented for asingle display or multiple displays. Displayed data may be limited tothat associated with a particular customer identifier, in exemplaryembodiments, without limitation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In addition to the features mentioned above, other aspects of thepresent invention will be readily apparent from the followingdescriptions of the drawings and exemplary embodiments, wherein likereference numerals across the several views refer to identical orequivalent features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view of an exemplary system;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of an exemplary display assembly of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an exemplary monitoring center of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of an exemplary client device of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of exemplary logic for use with the system ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of other exemplary logic for use with the systemof FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary user interface for use with the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is another exemplary user interface for use with the system ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 9 is another exemplary user interface for use with the system ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 10 is another exemplary user interface for use with the system ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 11 is another exemplary user interface for use with the system ofFIG. 1 ;

FIG. 12 is another exemplary user display generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 13 is another exemplary user display generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 14 is a continuation of the user display of FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a continuation of the user display of FIG. 14 ;

FIG. 16 is a continuation of the user display of FIG. 15 ;

FIG. 17 is another exemplary user display generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 18 is another exemplary user display(s) generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 19 is another exemplary user display(s) generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 20 is another exemplary user display generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 21 is another exemplary user display generated by at least thesystem of FIG. 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT(S)

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the followingdescription, specific details such as detailed configuration andcomponents are merely provided to assist the overall understanding ofthese embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications of the embodiments described herein can be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Inaddition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions areomitted for clarity and conciseness.

Embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference toillustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) ofthe invention. As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrationsas a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances,are to be expected. Thus, embodiments of the invention should not beconstrued as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustratedherein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example,from manufacturing.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary system. A number ofdisplay assemblies 30 may be in communication with a monitoring center20. Similarly, a number of client devices 10 may be in communicationwith the monitoring center 20. The display assemblies 30 may be locatedremote from the monitoring center 20. Likewise, the client devices 10may be located remote from the monitoring center 20. The communicationbetween the display assemblies 30, the monitoring center 20, and theclient devices 10 may be made by way of a network 80. The network 80 maybe any network such as a cellular network, internet, intranet, worldwide web, or the like. The network 80 between the client devices 10 andthe monitoring center 20 may be the same or may be different from thenetwork 80 between the monitoring center 20 and the display assemblies30.

Each of the display assemblies 30 may be any kind of display assembly30, such as but not limited to, a free-standing display kiosk configuredfor placement on a sidewalk, a wall-mounted display unit, a vehicletopper unit, or the like. Each of the client devices 10 may be apersonal electronic device such as, but not limited to, a smartphone,tablet, smartwatch, laptop, desktop computer, some combination thereof,or the like.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of an exemplary display assembly 30 of FIG. 1. Each display assembly 30 may comprise one or more electronic displays70 in electrical connection with a display controller 50. Eachelectronic display 70 may comprise a backlight for illuminating theelectronic display 70. The electronic display 70 may comprise one ormore a liquid crystal displays, light emitting diode (“LED”) displays,organic LED displays, plasma displays, some combination thereof, or thelike. One or more of the electronic displays 70 may comprise touchcapabilities. The backlight may be comprised of a number of LEDsarranged in a directly backlit, edge-lit, or other orientation.

In exemplary embodiments, the display controller 50 may be in electricalconnection with other components 60 for operating the display assembly30. Such components 60 may include, but are not limited to, fans,temperature sensors, light sensors, fan speed sensors, power consumptionsensors, air quality sensors, weather sensors, other sensors, telephoneequipment, video conferencing equipment, voice over internet protocol(VOIP) equipment, touch screens, camera, microphones, emergencynotification devices, processors, electronic storage devices, wayfindingequipment, location detection devices, video players, proof of playdevices, and the like. Any number, combination, and/or type ofcomponents are contemplated.

The display controller 50 may be configured to gather operations datafrom the electronic display 70. The display controller 50 may,alternatively or additionally, be configured to gather operations datafrom the components 60. Such operations data may include, but is notlimited to, proof of play data, fan speed data, temperature data,humidity data, power consumption data, ambient light data, weather data,backlight data, electronic display data, status data, emergencynotification data, air quality data, sensor readings, camera images orvideo recordings, microphone audio recordings, use history, and thelike. The operations data for multiple clients may be co-located at theelectronic storage device 52 located at the display assembly 30.Portions of the operations data may be associated with one or moreclient identifiers. For example, without limitation, operations dataassociated with a particular image displayed on the electronic display70 may be associated with a particular client identifier. Alternatively,or in addition, all operations data originating from one or more displayassemblies 30 may be associated with one or more client identifiers.This may permit for specific clients to access and retrieve only theoperations data associated with the particular client—permitting theco-location of such operations data while maintaining privacy. Theassociation with a client identifier may be performed at the displayassembly 30 or at the monitoring center 20. The client identifiers maybe, without limitation, unique alphanumeric serial numbers.

The display controller 50 may be in electrical communication with anetwork connection device 40. The network connection device 40 may beconfigured to transmit information to the monitoring center 20,including but not limited to, the operations data. In exemplaryembodiments, the network connection device 40 may likewise be configuredto receive information from the monitoring center 20, including but notlimited to, operation instructions. Such operations instructions maycomprise remote login capabilities, remote viewing, fan speedinstructions, backlight adjustment instructions, video or image filesfor display on the electronic displays 70, some combination thereof, orother instructions for operation of the display assembly 30. The networkconnection device 40 may transmit and/or receive such information by wayof the network 80.

The display controller 50 may comprise an electronic storage device 52for storing the operations data and/or operations instructions. Thedisplay controller 50 may also comprise a processor 54 for processingthe operations data and/or operations instructions. The electronicstorage device 52 may comprise software instructions, which whenexecuted, configure the processor 54 to perform various steps andprocesses described herein.

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an exemplary monitoring center 20 of FIG. 1. The monitoring center 20 may comprise an electronic storage device 52for storing the operations data and/or operations instructions. Themonitoring center 20 may also comprise a processor 54 for processing theoperations data and/or operations instructions. The electronic storagedevice 52 may comprise software instructions, which when executed,configure the processor 54 to perform various steps and processesdescribed herein. The processor 54 may be the same or different from theprocessor 54 of the display assembly 30.

The monitoring center 20 may further comprise a network connectiondevice 40. The network connection device 40 may be in electricalcommunication with the processor 54 and the electronic storage device52. The network connection device 40 may be in electrical communicationwith one or more of the display assemblies 30. The network connectiondevice 40 may be configured to receive operations data from the one ormore display assemblies 30. The network connection device 40 may also beconfigured to transmit operations instructions to one or more of thedisplay assemblies 30.

The network connection device 40 may be receive the operations data andpass it to the electronic storage device 52 for storage. The operationsdata for multiple display assemblies 30 may be co-located at theelectronic storage device 52 located at the monitoring center 20.Co-location may be accomplished by associating portions of theoperations data with one or more client identifiers. Each portion of theoperations data associated with a particular client identifier may bestored on a common electronic storage device 52, but electronicallypartitioned to ensure that the operations data associated with eachparticular client is maintained separate.

Alternatively, or in addition, all operations data originating from oneor more display assemblies 30 may be associated with one or more clientidentifiers. This may permit for specific clients to access and retrieveonly the operations data associated with the particularclient—permitting the co-location of such operations data whilemaintaining privacy. The network connection device 40 may transmitand/or receive such operations data and/or operations instructions byway of the network 80.

The gathering, transmitting, storing, receiving, and retrieving ofoperations data and/or operations instructions as shown and describedherein may be accomplished, wholly or in part, by the use of amicroservices architecture. Any of the other steps or methods describedherein may likewise be accomplished, wholly or in part, by the use of amicroservices architecture.

The monitoring center 20 may be a brick-and-mortar location staffed witha number of monitoring personnel, though such is not required. Inexemplary embodiments, the monitoring center 20 may comprise one or morerooms with one or more displays which may provide status and/oroperations information for one or more display assemblies 30. Forexample, without limitation, a complete or partial list of displayassemblies 30 and status information for each display assembly 30 may beshown. Information for a subset of display assemblies 30 may be shown ina rotating, scrolling, or other fashion. Detailed information regardingone or more display assemblies 30 may be shown on the same or a separatescreen. A number of personal electronic devices, such as but not limitedto, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, laptop, desktop computer, somecombination thereof, or the like may likewise display some or all of theinformation and may be configured to receive user input comprisingoperational instructions for one or more of the display assemblies 30.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of an exemplary client device 10 of FIG. 1 .The client device 10 may be any personal electronic device, includingbut not limited to, a smartphone, tablet, smart watch, laptop, desktopcomputer, some combination thereof, or the like. The client device 10may comprise an electronic storage device 52 for storing the operationsdata and/or operations instructions. The client device 10 may alsocomprise a processor 54 for processing the operations data and/oroperations instructions. The electronic storage device 52 may comprisesoftware instructions, which when executed, configure the processor 54to perform various steps and processes described herein. The processor54 may be the same or different from the processor 54 of the clientdevice 10.

The client device 10 may further comprise a network connection device40. The network connection device 40 may be in electrical communicationwith the processor 54 and the electronic storage device 52. The networkconnection device 40 may be in electrical communication with themonitoring center 20. The network connection device 40 may be configuredto receive operations data from the one or more display assemblies 30 byway of the monitoring center 20. In exemplary embodiments, the networkconnection device 40 may be receive such operations data and store it onthe electronic storage device 52. The network connection device 40 maybe configured to transmit operations instructions to the monitoringcenter 20. The network connection device 40 may transmit and/or receivesuch information by way of the network 80. In exemplary embodiments, thereceipt of operations data and/or transmission of operationsinstructions is accomplished by use of an internet browsing applicationand an internet-based user interface 90.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of exemplary logic for use with the system ofFIG. 1 . The display controller 50 may gather operations data the one ormore electronic displays 70 and/or the other components 60 of therespective display assembly 30. The operations data may be associatedwith one or more client identifiers. This operations data may be storedon the electronic storage device 52 of the respective display assembly30. The operations data may be transmitted by way of the networkconnection device 40 and the network 80 to the monitoring center 20where it may be stored on one or more electronic storage devices 52 atthe monitoring center 20. In exemplary embodiments, the processor 54 atthe monitoring center 20 may associate the operations data with one ormore client identifiers. The processor 54 may electronically partitionthe electronic storage device 52 such that operations data associatedwith each particular client identifier is kept separate from operationsdata associated with other client identifiers. This process may berepeated continuously or at any interval. Alternatively, or in addition,a client identifier may be associated with the operations data whentransmitted to the monitoring center 20.

A client request for operations data may be received from one or more ofthe client devices 10 at the monitoring center 20. The monitoring center20 may retrieve the operations data associated with the client. Inexemplary embodiments, this may involve retrieving all operations dataassociated with one or more of the display assemblies 30 associated withthe client. Alternatively, or in addition, operations data specific tothe client from a particular display assembly 30 may be retrieved.Stated another way, any single display assembly 30 may compriseoperations data for multiple clients and only the operations dataspecific to the particular client may be retrieved. The retrievedoperations data specific to the client may then be transmitted to theappropriate client device(s) 10. In exemplary embodiments, data specificto the client may be identified by way of the client identifiers.Operations data may be requested from each electronic display assembly30 periodically, continuously, sequentially, in a particular order, somecombination thereof, or the like.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of other exemplary logic for use with the systemof FIG. 1 . One or more display assemblies 30 may be associated with oneor more clients. A client login request may be received by way of one ormore client devices 10 at the monitoring center 20. If the client loginis not successful (e.g., if the user name and/or password are incorrect)the request may be denied. If the client login is successful (e.g., theuser name and password are correct) the client may be permitted toremotely access one or more display assemblies 30 associated with theclient. In exemplary embodiments, client login may be made by way ofuser name and password, one time use codes, biometric information, somecombination thereof, or the like. Any method or system for verifyingclient identity is contemplated. Such access may be made by way of themonitoring center 20. The client may be able to view and retrieveoperations data for the one or more display assemblies 30 associatedwith the client. The client may also be permitted to submit operationinstructions for the one or more display assemblies 30 associated withthe client. The operations of the one or more display assemblies 30associated with the client may then be modified to reflect the receivedclient operation instructions. Permissions may be tailored on a perclient basis such that only certain display assemblies 30 may beaccessed and/or modified when particular client login information isprovided.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary user interface 90 for use with the system of FIG.1 . The user interface 90 may display overview information regarding anumber of display assemblies 30, each of which may be associated with aparticular client though such is not required. Information about eachdisplay assembly 30 may include, but is not limited to, the serialnumber, description information, site information, and statusinformation of each display assembly 30. Status information, currentand/or historical, may also be provided.

As shown in FIG. 8 , event information for each of the displayassemblies 30 associated with a particular client may be depicted underan events tab 92. The event information may include, but is not limitedto, errors and warnings associated with one or more particular displayassemblies 30. An option to automatically generate a repair requestticket 94 may be provided for each event.

FIG. 9 is another exemplary user interface 90 for use with the system ofFIG. 1 . A visualization 96 of current and historical operations datamay be displayed. Such operations data may comprise data from one ormore sensors associated with a display assembly 30. In exemplaryembodiments, the visualization 96 may be displayed in tabular form or agraphical representation such as, but not limited to, a line chart, barchart, scatter diagram, or the like. Various categories of data may bedepicted in the visualization 96 as selected by use of a menu 98. Suchcategories may be displayed in a color-coded fashion.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary summary dashboard 91, which may be configured todisplay summary information regarding a particular display assembly 30.Environmental information 102 may be displayed such as, but not limitedto, the average power supply temperature and average backlighttemperature. Display status information 104 may also be displayed suchas, but not limited to, the software version, the system run time, thebacklight run time, and the brightness of each display. Additionalinformation 106 may also be displayed such as, but not limited to, thestatus and resolution of various inputs, the inlet power supply, and thefan speed of various fans in the display assembly 30. Any open repairrequest tickets may be displayed at an open ticket information area 108.A screen capture 110 of what is currently being displayed, waspreviously displayed, and/or is scheduled to be displayed next on thedisplay assembly 30 may also be provided.

FIG. 11 is another exemplary summary dashboard 93, which may beconfigured to display summary information regarding all displayassemblies 30 associated with a particular client identifier. The numberof display assemblies 30 with some downtime event may be depicted in adowntime visualization 112. In exemplary embodiments, the downtimevisualization 112 is a bar graph tracked by date, though any form ofvisualization is contemplated. A listing of top display assemblies withevents 114 may be provided. A summary of repair ticket requests 116 mayalso be provided depicting all open repair ticket requests. A summary ofthe most reported events 118 may list the event(s) in question and thenumber of display assemblies 30 affected by the given event(s). Thesummary of the most reported events 118 may be presented in tabularform, though such is not required. Finally, a status summary 120 of alldisplay assemblies 30 associated with a given client identifier may beprovided. The status summary 120 may include, but is not limited to, thenumber of display assemblies 30 associated with the given clientidentifier which are playing video, not playing video, having no orlimited network connectivity, in good condition, in critical condition,or having one or more warning events.

FIG. 12 through FIG. 21 illustrate exemplary user displays 90 that maybe generated by the display assemblies 30, systems, and/or methods shownand/or described herein. Some or all of the display assemblies 30 maycomprise the components 60 and/or the controllers 50, which mayindividually or collectively be configured to monitor, report, and/oradjust all of the data points shown and/or described. Such data pointsmay be provided in raw, processed, and/or summarized form. The userdisplays 90 may comprise visualized data and/or provide options for auser to select, manipulate, filter, present, combinations thereof, orthe like, the data points. The user displays 90 may present data, suchas in a read-only format, and/or may provide options for the user toinput new operational settings, parameters, filter criteria,combinations thereof, or the like.

The user displays 90 may comprise data specific to display assemblies 30associated with a received customer identifier and/or other criteria,such as but not limited to geographic region, part number, serialnumber, combinations thereof, or the like. The user displays 90 may begenerated in accordance with one or more user preferences or settingsassociated with various customer identifiers, by way of non-limitingexample. The user displays 90 may be provided in various formats (e.g.,read-only, read-write) based on permissions associated with variouscustomer identifiers, by way of non-limiting example.

A number of exemplary user displays 90 are shown and/or described hereinwithout limitation, such as without limitation as to the type, kind,and/or arrangement of data. Any amount, type, kind, and/or arrangementof data may be provided at any type, kind, and/or number of userdisplays 90. The data may be presented in such user displays 90 in anytype or kind of format, such as but not limited to table, spreadsheet,graphical (e.g., line chart, bar chart, plot, pie chart, combinationsthereof, or the like), text, combinations thereof, or the like. Maximum,minimum, mean, median, mode, or the like values may be generated and/orprovided. The data may be presented and updated in substantially realtime or represent historical data and presented for particular timeperiods, by way of non-limiting example.

The user display 90 of FIG. 12 includes data for multiple displayassemblies 30 and may include information such as, but not limited to,geographic position, status, total number of units, combinationsthereof, of the like.

The user displays 90 of FIGS. 13-16 include data for a single displayassembly 30. Such data may be generated upon selection or inputtingcriteria for a particular display assembly 30, such as but not limitedto, serial number, customer identifier, geographic location,combinations thereof, or the like which is sufficient to specify aparticular one of the display assemblies 30. Such detailed informationmay be available by selecting one of the units described in a summaryuser display 90 such as but not limited to those shown and/or describedwith regard to FIG. 12 .

The user display 90 of FIG. 17 includes current displayed imageinformation and touch interface data, among other data points, formultiple ones of the display assemblies 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 18 , the user display 90 may include, for examplewithout limitation, identifying information for display assemblies 30such as but not limited to, part number, model number, IP addressinformation, software version information, location information, city,state or province, unit serial number, country, uptime, contract, lastpoll time, IP address, update status, software revision, part number,model number, combinations thereof, and the like; status information,such as but not limited to open or closed status information formultiple ones of the electronic displays 70 or related subassembliesand/or access panels (e.g., doors, locks, etc.), magnet and/or latchstatus; power information, such as but not limited to system powerinformation, including but not limited to direct current (DC) powerinformation, surge, kW/H, efficiency, inputs (voltages, watts, amps; faninformation, such as but not limited to fan status information, such asbut not limited to fans associated with one or more open loop airflowpathways and/or closed loop airflow pathways, RPM speed, speed or powerpercentage, combination thereof, or the like; display or backlightinformation for multiple ones of the display assemblies 30, such as butnot limited to backlight status information, such as actual power,desired power, actual luminance, desired luminance, settings for varioustimes of day, temperature information, combinations thereof, or thelike; weather information local weather and/or internal relativehumidity status information; environmental information; internaltemperature information, such as for various components; location (e.g.,GPS) information; touch screen status information (touch locations,touch count, frame numbers, temperature information, electrical statusinformation); video status information (e.g., video state, videoresolution, frame rate, connection information); display configurationinformation, such as board time, start up commands, screen information,video input information, test pattern, audio check, humidity check,humidity threshold, pressure check, location check, sensor type, shocksensitivity rating, frame capture orientation, combinations thereof, orthe like; network configuration information, such as DHCP state, gatewayinformation, net mask, DNS, server address, proxy address, URL, timezone, weather service, secondary IP, host name, combinations thereof, orthe like; power configuration information, such as number of powersupplies, min/max voltages, current, power, combinations thereof, or thelike; day-to-night and/or night-to-day backlight transition confirmationinformation, such as time and backlight levels; temperature controlconfiguration information, such as delta temperature change warningthresholds (e.g., ambient, internal), min/max temperature thresholds(e.g., ambient, internal), offsets; uptime statics and other informationfor multiple ones of the display assemblies 30, such as but not limitedto display information (e.g., serial number), geographic information(e.g., address information, site ID), runtime (e.g., percentage)information, play count information, play duration average information(e.g., in second), combinations thereof, and the like; combinationsthereof, or the like. All such values or other information are merelyexemplary and are not intended to be limiting. The values or otherinformation may be presented in any of the normal associated units, ormultiple such units (e.g., converted to/from metric to imperial). Thevalues or other information may be presented for a single unit ormultiple ones of the display assemblies 30 and/or various componentsthereof. The values or other information may be presented in a table, byunit serial number, in condensed or expanded form, summary form,combinations thereof, or the like.

FIG. 19 illustrates other exemplary user displays 90 comprisingexemplary graphical presentations of monitored data points that may begenerated. Such visualizations may be generated for particular timeperiods and/or on a substantially real-time basis, such as to accountfor time for data transmission and processing. For example, the userdisplay 90 of FIG. 20 illustrates exemplary temperatures, exemplarytemperature and fan information, exemplary power inlet information(e.g., alternating current (AC)), exemplary backlight drive and cloudcover information, exemplary power supply (e.g., DC voltages and/orcurrents), exemplary power input and output information, exemplaryhumidity information (e.g., dewpoint humidity pressure), exemplarytemperature information, exemplary power supply (e.g., DC power supplycurrent share tracking). The information may be provided in line charts,such as with various data points charted in different colors, withdifferent patterns, with different symbols, combination thereof, or thelike. Information may be provided for a single unit, or multiple units,such as in individual charts or multiple charts. The type, kinds, andformat of information illustrated, including what all is included in agiven line chart, is merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting.The information may be plotted or otherwise provided over any lengthtime period, such as but not limited to, 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours,etc. The information may be plotted or otherwise provided insubstantially real time, or based on historical records. The informationmay be scaled, filtered, or the like.

The user display 90 of FIG. 20 includes exemplary proof-of-playinformation, such as in one or more reports, for an exemplary one of thedisplay assemblies 30, which may include, for example withoutlimitation, display information, image information, plays delivered,campaign information, days played information, image thumbnails,combinations thereof, or the like.

The user display 90 of FIG. 21 includes exemplary lifetime and dailyminimum and maximum operational parameter data displays for an exemplaryone of the display assemblies 30. The lifetime and/or daily minimum andmaximum operational parameter data displays may be provided for any typeand/or kind of data, including but not necessarily limited to, minimumlifetime and/or daily values for various data points, graphical displaysof such information, combinations thereof, or the like.

The sensors may comprise, for example without limitation, one or more oftemperature sensors, pressure sensors, ambient light sensors, airspeedsensors, power sensors (e.g., electric meters, voltage meters, currentmeters), combinations thereof, or the like. Any number, type, and/orkind of sensors may be provided for generating the various data points.The components 60 may include the sensors, though such is not required.The sensors may be in electronic communication with the controllers 50.The sensors may be located at, or internal to, the display assemblies30. Alternatively, or additionally, the sensors may be external to and,remote from, the display assemblies 30. For example, without limitation,some or all of the ambient conditions may be determined from one or moreinternet-based sources, which may include, for example withoutlimitation, data obtained from one or more local weather sensors. Suchdata may be received at the controller 50, such as by way of the networkcommunication devices 40.

Some or all of the user displays 90 may be accessible by way of one ormore internet-based portals, webpages, applications, combinationsthereof, or the like. The user displays 90 may be generated at access,upon navigation to particular ones of the user displays 90, and/orvarious user selections.

The information displayed and the manner in which it is displayed ismerely exemplary and is not intended to be limiting. Any type or kind ofdata may be displayed in any format.

Any embodiment of the present invention may include any of the optionalor preferred features of the other embodiments of the present invention.The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to beexhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. Theexemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the present invention so that others skilled in the artmay practice the invention. Having shown and described exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art willrealize that many variations and modifications may be made to thedescribed invention. Many of those variations and modifications willprovide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimedinvention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention onlyas indicated by the scope of the claims.

Certain operations described herein may be performed by one or moreelectronic devices. Each electronic device may comprise one or moreprocessors, electronic storage devices, executable softwareinstructions, and the like configured to perform the operationsdescribed herein. The electronic devices may be general purposecomputers or specialized computing device. The electronic devices may bepersonal computers, smartphone, tablets, databases, servers, or thelike. The electronic connections described herein may be accomplished bywired or wireless means. The electronic devices, including but notnecessarily limited to the electronic storage devices, databases, or thelike, may comprise and/or be configured to hold, solely non-transitorysignals.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for remotely monitoring electronicdisplay assemblies, said system comprising: the electronic displayassemblies, each comprising a controller, sensors in electroniccommunication with the controller, and a network communication device inelectronic communication with the controller; and a monitoring centercomprising one or more non-transitory electronic storage devicescomprising software instructions, which when executed, configure one ormore processors to: receive, from the electronic display assemblies,data regarding operations of the electronic display assemblies;associate different customer identifiers with different portions of saiddata; receive a particular customer identifier from a customer device;identify the portions of the data associated with the particularcustomer identifier for transmission to the customer device; andgenerate one or more user displays with the identified data at thecustomer device.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein: the sensors comprisetemperature sensors and ambient light sensors.
 3. The system of claim 2wherein: said data comprises fan speed, ambient temperature readings,internal temperature readings, ambient light levels, backlight levels,and power consumption information for the electronic display assemblies.4. The system of claim 3 wherein: said one or more non-transitoryelectronic storage devices comprise additional software instructions,which when executed, configure said one or more processors to generatetime dependent graphs of the data; and said one or more user displayscomprise said time dependent graphs.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein:association of said different customer identifiers with said differentportions of said data received at said monitoring center from saidelectronic display assemblies, reception of said particular customeridentifier from a customer device, and identification of the portions ofthe data associated with the particular customer identifier fortransmission to the customer device is undertaken using micro-services.6. The system of claim 1 wherein: each of the display assemblies isconfigured for utilization by different customers; and at least some ofthe data received from each respective one of the display assemblies isassociated with different ones of the customer identifiers.
 7. Thesystem of claim 6 wherein: the data is electronically compartmentalizedat said one or more non-transitory electronic storage devices by thecustomer identifiers; and said one or more non-transitory electronicstorage devices comprise additional software instructions, which whenexecuted, configure said one or more processors to receive and verifylogin information from the customer device.
 8. The system of claim 1wherein: at least some of the data received from at least one of thedisplay assemblies is associated with different ones of the customeridentifiers.
 9. The system of claim 1 wherein: said one or morenon-transitory electronic storage devices comprise additional softwareinstructions, which when executed, configure said one or more processorsto cause all of the portions of the data assigned the particular one ofthe customer identifiers to be summarized into a summary report; andsaid one or more user displays comprise said summary report.
 10. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein: said one or more non-transitory electronicstorage devices comprise additional software instructions, which whenexecuted, configure said one or more processors to: receive user inputfrom said customer device identifying a particular one of the electronicdisplay assemblies; and filter said identified data to further identifysaid data associated with said particular one of the electronic displayassemblies; and at least one of said one or more user displays consistsof said further identified data.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein: saiddata comprises geographic information stored in association withidentifying information for each of said electronic display assemblies;and said one or more non-transitory electronic storage devices compriseadditional software instructions, which when executed, configure saidone or more processors to: receive user input from said customer deviceidentifying a geographic region; filter said identified data to furtheridentify said data associated with said geographic region; and at leastone of said one or more user displays consists of said furtheridentified data.
 12. The system of claim 1 wherein: at least some ofsaid one or more user displays comprise interface components whichpermit a user to enter operating instructions for the electronic displayassemblies associated with the particular customer identifier; and saidone or more non-transitory electronic storage devices compriseadditional software instructions, which when executed, configure saidone or more processors to: receive operating instructions for one ormore of the electronic display assemblies associated with the particularcustomer identifier by way of said interface components; and transmitsaid operating instructions to the one or more of the electronic displayassemblies associated with the particular customer identifier.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12 wherein: said operation instructions comprise one ormore of fan speed instructions and backlight level instructions for theone or more of the electronic display assemblies associated with theparticular customer identifier.
 14. The system of claim 13 wherein: eachof said electronic display assemblies comprise a liquid crystal typedisplay placed within a ruggedized housing; said monitoring centercomprises a dedicated physical facility remote from the displayassemblies; and the data comprises operational status information foreach of said electronic display assemblies provided in substantiallyreal time.
 15. A method for remotely monitoring electronic displayassemblies, said method comprising: electronically receiving, atcontrollers of the electronic display assemblies from sensors of theelectronic display assemblies, data regarding operational conditions ofthe electronic display assemblies; electronically transmitting said databy way of network communication devices at said electronic displayassemblies to a remote monitoring center; electronically associatingdifferent customer identifiers with different portions of data receivedat the remote monitoring center from the electronic display assemblies,wherein at least some of the data received from each respective one ofthe display assemblies is associated with different ones of the customeridentifiers; electronically receiving, at the remote monitoring center,a particular customer identifier from a customer device; electronicallyidentifying the portions of the data associated with the particularcustomer identifier for transmission to the customer device; andelectronically generating, at the customer device, one or more userdisplays comprising at least some of the identified data.
 16. The methodof claim 15 further comprising: receiving and verifying, at the remotemonitoring center, login information from the customer device;summarizing, by way of said remote monitoring center, all of theidentified data into a summary report; and presenting the summary reportat the customer device.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein: the datacomprises fan speed, ambient temperature readings, internal temperaturereadings, ambient light levels, backlight levels, and power consumptioninformation for the electronic display assemblies; the one or more userdisplays comprise time dependent graphs generated from the identifieddata; and the sensors comprise one or more of temperature sensors,pressure sensors, and ambient light sensors.
 18. The method of claim 15further comprising: receiving, at the remote monitoring center, updatedoperating instructions; transmitting, by way of the remote monitoringcenter, said updated operating instructions to each of the electronicdisplay assemblies associated with the particular customer identifier;and implementing, at the electronic display assemblies associated withthe particular customer identifier, the operating instructions.
 19. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising: electronically associating eachof the electronic display assemblies with a geographic location;receiving, from the customer device, a particular geographic location;and filtering said identified data by said particular geographiclocation.
 20. A system for remotely monitoring electronic displayassemblies, said system comprising: the electronic display assemblies,each configured for utilization by different customers and comprising acontroller, sensors in electronic communication with the controller, anda network communication device in electronic communication with thecontroller, wherein at least one of the electronic display assembliescomprises a touch screen; and a network operations center, remote fromthe electronic display assemblies, and comprising one or morenon-transitory electronic storage devices comprising softwareinstructions, which when executed, configure one or more processors to:receive, from each of the electronic display assemblies, data regardingoperations of each of the electronic display assemblies; associatedifferent customer identifiers with different portions of said data suchthat at least some of the portions of the data received from eachrespective one of the display assemblies is associated with differentones of the customer identifiers; receive a particular customeridentifier from a customer device; identify the portions of the dataassociated with the particular customer identifier for transmission tothe customer device; generate one or more user displays with theidentified data, said one or more user displays comprising, at least onesummary report, at least one time dependent graph developed from theidentified data, and at least one input area; monitoring touch screeninputs data of the at least one of the electronic display assemblies todetermine user preferences; and reporting the touch screen inputs dataat the network operations center.